XTara: Was that a threat?Murdoch: When I threaten you, you'll know it.Sal: Murdoch, behave. Ma'am, you don't want to attract more attention --Tara: You can't threaten an Imperial officer, you little idiot! The IAF isn't some jumped-up thug army like you have here!Sal: (offscreen) Excusez-moi?Tara: I don't have to take this from a bunch of thieves and whores!Travis: (offscreen) Uh, Tara --Tara: What? Everyone knows Lowtowners will do anything for money --Offscreen patron: Honey, they ain't a whore in Kieselburg done anything your Emperor wouldn't. Or anyone.Tara: (offscreen) You take that back!Offscreen patron: Yeah, be fair, Joe. Even the whores don't do aliens.Murdoch: Hope you planned on fightin' your way outta here, Blue.Travis: I was hoping we'd at least get through the dessert course.

The antics -- and appetites -- of the Emperor Undying have achieved the status of minor legend; political commentators across the Sol system argue endlessly over whether the latest scandal is genuine or simply a clever way of distracting attention from something else the Empire is doing. Since it is near-impossible to get a straight answer on anything from the Emperor himself, both sides usually have plenty of fodder. A third, largely unvoiced, theory is espoused by most members of His Highness's armed forces and government -- namely, that he exists only to try their patience.

Maria's woken up in a new clone before. But never in a sea of bodies, light-years from Earth, with decades missing from her memory and five crewmates all wondering the same thing: which of them was the killer?